fostex r8 doesn't play - does fwd & rewind

[garthengdahl]

just got this unit for not much money and this is probably why.
when turned on it makes a loud-ish whirring noise which by itself would be very bad news in a recording unit. when the play button is pressed the noise gets a bit louder and kind of buzzy. and the reels don't even make a feeble attempt to turn. i only payed 35 bucks for it so it's not tragic. but it is kind of sad.

any thoughts on possible causes?
oh yeah, complicating factor. unit was originally designed for use in Europe. I purchases a power converter 110-220 which according to the manufacturer ought to be turning the local power into the right flavor for this beast. My initial guess would be that this isn't the issue - because forward & backwards seem to be working fine and the digital display on the control unit looks ok (LEDS aren't too bright too dim etc).

garth

 

[The Ghost of FM]

The R-8 uses a belt drive system for the capstan so odds are, the belt is in need of replacement.

Cheers!

 

[garthengdahl]

parts for a fostex r8

argh. just spent 30 minutes chasing around the internet with no luck. anybody know where parts for a Fostex R8 might be found? in particular drive belts?

thanks
garth

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Not sure of the reputation of this retailer but they show the product, priced in Japanese Yen

http://www.openreel.net/parts_1.html

Odds are, a local repair shop should have access to one or have an equivalent that will fit and work.

More to the point, if you're uncomfortable with taking apart the machine and changing it yourself, you'll probably want to find a repair shop anyway.

Also keep in mind that the belt is the probable cause of the problem. Over the Internet, we can only give educated guesses so, if you did get a great price on the machine, perhaps consider that spending a few more bucks to have it professionally looked at isn't such an outlandish idea. The R8 when it was new sold for $2000.00

Cheers!